


An Awkward Surprise

by DualWieldingCousland (DualWieldingMama)



Series: The Other Regan [16]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-16
Updated: 2015-04-16
Packaged: 2018-03-23 04:18:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3754234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DualWieldingMama/pseuds/DualWieldingCousland
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A late night surprise leads to several days of awkward</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Awkward Surprise

“Tell me again why we didn’t just set up camp and rest?” Sera grumbled, grouchier than normal as her horse followed Regan’s mount through the gates. The guards on gate duty tried to shut the massive doors as quietly as possible, not wanting to disturb any more than necessary. 

“Because some of us prefer our comfortable beds to rocks and grass,” Solas replied, sliding off Nehn as soon as he crossed into the courtyards.

“I thought you elfy elves loved sleeping on grass and rocks, with a lovely blanket of leaves to cover you,” Sera snarked, following suit. At least they’d managed to find some comfortable saddles; she couldn’t imagine riding bareback like Solas did.

“Oh for the love of ….” Regan sighed and reached out to take the hart’s reigns. “Just go to bed, you two. Separately.” She turned to mutter something to Iron Bull, who had yet to dismount from his battle nug, which was answered with a poorly muffled laugh.

After the two elves stormed off in different directions, she sighed and steered Uktena toward the stables, glad all their mounts were mostly well behaved. “You don’t have to hang around with me, Bull,” she said. “I’m pretty sure I can handle stabling everyone. They won’t get the wipe-down they’re used to until the morning, but I think they’ll be ok.”

“It’s no trouble, boss.” Bull knew better than to leave anyone alone this late, even if they were in their home base. A woman alone, even one as skilled as Regan, made an inviting target for drunks, or worse. “It’ll go faster with two of us. Then I’ll go find a bunk to bed down in.”

The pair moved swiftly, Regan deciding not to argue with the Qunari; he could be as stubborn as she was, sometimes. Soon, the mounts were tucked away, content to nibble on their rewards, or just sleep. She bid Bull good night, and slowly made her way up the steps, into Skyhold and headed for the door to her room. She didn’t know why everyone had decided she should get such a large room compared to the others. The majority of rooms had enough room for a few bits of furniture at most. Cullen opted to just have his bed on a platform above his office; his roof wasn’t even fixed yet and he still just slept in the same room he spent all day working in. She had tried to convince him to sleep elsewhere, even offering to switch rooms with him, but he’d declined every suggestion. She’d finally settled for telling him that if weather got too bad, or he needed privacy he wasn’t getting in his office, he was welcome to use her room when she was off on a mission; she was gone more often than not lately, anyway.

As her mind drifted to the Commander, she couldn’t stop the smile. She’d missed him, more than she’d thought possible. They were growing closer than she’d let herself hope after that first meeting. At first, it was just the odd conversation here or there, clumsy hints coming from both parties. Soon, it seemed both realized the other might be interested and the vague hints melted into something more akin to real flirting. And then, he’d kissed her. In that instant, she felt something entirely new for her. She felt safe, and wanted. After that, it seemed they were always seeking out moments here and there to spend a little time together. Every time she left, she heard this little voice inside urging her to hurry back to him. She thought about swinging by his office, but decided against it. If he was asleep, she didn’t want to wake him.

Regan tiredly climbed the multitude of stairs that led to her room, wincing every time a door creaked open or closed. And finally, she was in her room. She stripped off her armor as she made her way from the stairs to the bed, leaving bits across the floor until she was clad only in her underthings. She thought about changing into the shift she sometimes wore but decided against it, opting to strip off the last bits of cloth and just climb straight into bed. She was so tired she passed off the unusual lump in the covers as simply extra blankets and pillows.

Sometime in the night, she felt an arm drift around her waist, a leg hook around hers, something pressing against her rear, nestled enticingly between cheeks that rarely were exposed. She was dreaming, surely. She snuggled against the warmth behind her, sighing contently when she heard her name moaned against her ear. At least, she was content for a moment, until she realized that she felt that whispered moan against her skin as well; she wasn’t dreaming! Someone else was in her bed as well; someone whose voice she knew in an instant.

“Cullen?” she whispered, slowly shifting to run her fingers along his arm to confirm her suspicions. When had he climbed into her bed? Had he been here the entire time? Did she object to him being there? What was he doing there?

The arm around her waist tightened for a brief second, and then there was rapid movement that caught her by surprise. In a heartbeat, the warm body behind her scrambled from the bed; sounds of hurried feet accompanied by sputtering half-exclamations. “I … Reg … Inquisi … I don’t … I didn’t …!”. Cullen made an effort to cover himself with one of the blankets that had been thrown about during his frantic scrambling. 

Regan did the same, pulling the remaining covers up to cover herself as she sat, though she wasn’t completely certain she wanted to. In truth, she had been enjoying the closeness, though she still didn’t know when he’d shown up. “Cullen?” she repeated, trying to calm the obviously frazzled commander. “It’s OK, Cullen. I won’t bite.” 

“My lady,” Cullen finally managed to get out. “I … I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been in your room without your permission.” He started backing toward the armor rack that held his usual garb, not noticing the faint smile on her face.

“You have permission, Cullen,” she reminded him, finally getting her mind working properly. He must have needed someplace to hide, or maybe the wind had been too cold. There were countless reasons he might have decided to finally take her up on her offer. “I distinctly remember offering you use of this room whenever I was off somewhere. I hate to see it sit unused so often.” She didn’t think about how that statement could sound, but the sudden flush that hit Cullen’s ears meant he surely did.

“But you’ve returned,” he replied quietly, trying to figure out how to get dressed without dropping the blanket. “So I shall … return to my office, my lady … once I … um, once I’m …”

She finally noticed his discomfort and put two and two together. She turned on the bed, allowing him some privacy. She also allowed him an unrestricted view of her backside, earning a quiet, needy groan from the Commander as he hurried to dress so he could escape with a little of his dignity intact. And soon, he was gone, leaving Regan alone with her thoughts, which was always a dangerous thing.

The next several days were awkward, at a minimum. Every time Regan and Cullen were in the same room, there was a strange silence between them. Glances were exchanged, and cheeks flushed, but no one said anything. It wasn’t like the unsure awkwardness that had existed before, Leliana and Josephine were sure of it. The strange discomfort was most noticeable at the war table; the pair kept their distance, though they still managed to get things done. But neither one would talk about what had happened.

Dorian noticed as well, as he was surprisingly close to both the Inquisitor and the Commander. But even though they shared much, more than Cullen was known to share with anyone other than Regan, he couldn’t pry what was wrong from his friend. Regan was equally quiet about things, though he could tell she wanted to talk to someone about it. He just had to figure out the right angle.

Cole was aware, too. Of course, it was difficult to keep things hidden from Cole. He had gotten better about not blurting things out all the time, but he still slipped up occasionally. “He misses her when she leaves.” He was in the gardens, within earshot of Dorian and Regan at the time, though he may not have known it. Cullen was nearby as well, trying not to look like he wanted to go up to her. “He worries that she’ll be hurt and he can’t protect her. That’s why he goes to her room when she’s not there. He can sleep, then. The worries are … less.”

“Alright,” Dorian sighed, having actually grown exasperated with her. “Just tell me what’s going on. It’s like you’re walking on daggers whenever you’re around him, and it didn’t used to be this bad.” He put his arm around her and gave her a quick hug. “I know I don’t act like it, most of the time, but I worry about you. Just tell me what happened.”

And so she did. She only left out details she was sure Cullen wouldn’t want him to know- certain personal details. But she kept none of the actual events to herself. She told him how she felt, how worried she was that he was upset with her. It felt good to finally tell someone. She just wished she could tell him. But just being in the same room was awkward, and she didn’t know how to make it not be.

But Dorian did, or thought he did, anyway. And so, he gave her an idea. It wasn’t much of an idea, but it was something. And all it would take was a little nerve on her part. The desire was there; they both knew that. She just had to get up the nerve to be in the same room with him and not clam up.

“Do you really think that’ll work?” she asked, feeling butterflies in her stomach. He made it sound so simple. Of course, it probably was simple for him. He never seemed to have any problems with nerves around someone he was interested in.

“Of course it will.” Dorian smiled reassuringly as he leaned back in his chair. He caught Cullen’s eye and gave an encouraging smile. If the templar would make the first move, his advice would be rendered unnecessary. But the man was apparently clueless; he just gave the mage a quick nod and left the garden.

The next day, Regan decided to put Dorian’s plan into action. She really didn’t know any other way to handle it, and while it was quite out of character for her, it was better than nothing. She just had to make sure she didn’t lose her nerve. It was just Cullen, right; nothing to be nervous about - nothing at all.

Standing outside his door, she took a deep breath, then pushed it open. Thankfully, there was no one else inside; just Cullen, hunched over his desk. He didn’t look up from whatever report held his attention. “Just leave your report,” he said halfheartedly. “I’ll look it over when I have the chance.” 

She almost left. She almost turned and walked right back out the door. But she didn’t. She quietly shut the door, sliding the locking bar in place before moving to each of the other doors in his office to repeat the process. She wanted no interruptions, for once. “I think you need to take care of this now,” she replied as the final door was secured, praying her voice remained steady. 

Surprised, Cullen looked up, slowly dropping the report on his desk. He stared at her for a moment, struggling to keep a straight face, and failing miserably. A nervous smile finally graced his lips as he pushed away from his desk. A tentative step toward her was all he would allow himself, unsure of what was to come.

She didn’t say a word; she didn’t trust her voice not to break. Instead, Regan strode up to the former templar with purpose, a confidence she wasn’t sure she felt. She grabbed as much of that furred collar as she could and pulled his lips to hers. She had needed this for days, ever since she’d woken up with him in her bed. And by the Maker, she would at least have this. If he decided he no longer wanted her, she would have one last kiss to remember. 

But instead of pushing her away or pulling back, powerful arms wrapped around her, pulling her close. He growled hungrily as he lifted her, gripping her rear as he pressed against her, lips devouring hers. She wrapped her legs around his waist, clinging to his shoulders for dear life; she didn’t trust her body to keep herself upright, at that point. He stumbled forward, until her back pressed against the door, giving them the support they needed. One hand remained on her ass, pulling her against him. The other braced against the door, supporting him only enough to prevent any unnecessary crushing.

It had been a week, and she didn’t want to stop. But they needed to address what had happened that night, or it would hang over them for eternity. Oh, Maker, why did Dorian’s plan have to work so well? When they finally broke for air, Regan brought a hand up to gently push him back. “We need to talk, Cullen,” she sighed, trying to calm down. Maker, how she wanted to kiss him again. “I hate this weirdness that’s settled between us.”

It took a moment; she could see the war going on behind his eyes: ignore her request and kiss her again, or listen, possibly to an unwanted ending. But he finally set her down and took a step back, though he didn’t quite release her; his hands still rested on her hips. He tried to hide his nerves, but she could see it in his eyes; he was scared of what she was going to say. “I’m so sorry, Inquisitor,” he blurted out, bowing his head. “I should never have been in your bed.” 

Regan was surprised. She had been planning on starting the discussion, but he’d beat her to it, though not quite the way she’d intended. And now, he was pulling away, starting to pace back and forth in front of her as he spoke. She wanted to interrupt him, tell him everything was fine. She wanted to tell him that she enjoyed falling asleep with him next to her. But she didn’t, too nervous to interrupt.

“I remembered what you’d said,” he continued, making an effort not to look at her. “When you were off on missions, I had leave to use your room if the need arose. In truth, the need has been almost constant. From the moment you ride out the gate until the moment you return, I worry for you. Cole had the right of it, that day in the gardens. The only thing that allows me to sleep at all, when you’re gone, is being in your bed. I suppose I thought it was a very vivid dream, that night. The longing being so great that I managed to dream you there, if just for a moment. And then I discover it is no dream; you’d returned in the night. I … panicked. I didn’t know what you would think, finding me there, in … in such a position. I … I feared you would take offense.

“And then I didn’t know what to say, afterwards. You had to hate me, I was sure. I just … didn’t know how to fix anything.” He sighed, slumping against a different door, still not looking at her. “I still don’t. Can we just … forget it happened?”

“I don’t want to forget,” she whispered, tentatively walking toward him. “I can’t think of a much better way to wake up.” Well, she hadn’t intended to say that, but it was the truth. Other than the initial surprise of finding him there, when she really thought about it, waking up next to him was rather nice. “I was just as surprised, and probably just as embarrassed,” she admitted sheepishly. “Especially after you leapt from the bed.”

He felt his cheeks grow warm and looked anywhere but at her. He hadn’t been able to erase the memory of her in his arms, or the image of her clutching the blanket to her chest … or, well … any of that night if he was going to be honest with himself. Not that he really was trying to forget any of that, either. That was part of the problem; every time he looked at her, he saw her as she was that night; it made carrying on a normal conversation rather … difficult. “I don’t want to forget, either,” he whispered, willing his nerves to quiet down. “I … I can’t … I wish ….” Blast it; why did his brain choose now to go on the fritz again?

Regan bit back a chuckle, closing her eyes contently as his hands drifted around her waist once she was right in front of him. “It’s OK, Cullen.” She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed as he held her tighter. “Can we … can we just … I mean, I don’t want things to be weird between us anymore. I … I miss ….” What was she even trying to say here? She wasn’t sure anymore. She just knew she hated the awkward silences that had filled the air between them recently. 

He buried his nose in her hair and just … let the smell of peppermint wash over him, calm him. “I think … I know what you mean,” he whispered, “and yes … we can. I’ve missed this … I’ve missed you.”


End file.
